LESSON

PLAN
Name of teacher:

Grade: 9 Mathematics

No. in class: 15

Lesson time: 55 mins

Curriculum standard: Geometry and Measures, 6.2/7.1

Learning objectives: By the end of the lesson the students will be able to:

Apply problem solving skills and construction of simple nets to the task of estimating the surface area of a simple box.
*(To determine a more accurate solution but recognise that an estimate is sometimes all that is needed).
*This part follows the demonstration lesson

Assumed knowledge of learners:

- Some prior understanding of nets as 2D representations of 3D objects;

- Formulae for surface area of simple shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, trapezium, parallelogram);
- Pythagorass Theorem.

Materials:

- Pattern block set

- 1cm square graph paper,
- Pencil,
- Ruler.
- (A calculator would be necessary for calculations using the formulae).
- Possibly a manufactured box, for chocolates or biscuits, for example.
- Beamer. Screen.
- Handouts 1-4
- Feedback sheet.

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Stages of
the lesson
(+ timing)

1. (3 mins)

2. (5 mins)

Teaching procedures and teachers language:

- Write up the phrase Surface Area on the board and focus the class.
- Hold up one of the shapes or a box you have brought in. Hand it to a
strong student and ask:
What is this? (Is it a.Box, triangle, square.) Show me the surface
area of this object.
- Try to remind them of their previous knowledge and resolve with an
easy sentence on the board, such as SA = the exposed area of a solid
object.
- Use the box or shape to illustrate exposed that which they can see.

- Ask the question rhetorically. Dont seek an answer yet.
Why do we need to know the surface area of something?
- Assign pairs. Show them the box you have and ask them how many of
the items (whatever it is, chocolates, biscuits etc) fit into the box. They
will be unlikely to tell you an exact figure.
How many of these Xs fit into this box?
- Now give the handout (Handout 1) to the assigned pairs which explains
the client-factory owner situation and asks the two questions:
1. Why is the box factory owner going to be interested in the concept of
Surface Area?
2. Why is the client also going to be interested?

- Tell them that you will give them three minutes to think about the two
questions, but that then you will ask for some suggestions.
- Field the suggestions and establish that the owner will want to know
how much material he will need, and that the (money-conscious) client
will want to know what is the least amount of material that can be used
to contain the 3 chocolates.

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Learner activities and

learner language:

Interaction

Support given

Reading from the board


Listening and speaking
Producing short answer

Reading from the board
Observation

Whole class


Individual

Whole class

Board
Realia (shapes).
Lexical alternatives

Model sentence

Physical
demonstration

Listening

Producing a short
suggestion (numerical)


Reading from handout


Writing short answers
with frame
Speaking (using frame
scaffolds)
Listening (to definitive
answer)

Whole class








Whole class



Pairs


Individual

Realia (box)


Items for box


Handout (1)


Frames

Frame scaffolds



3. (5 mins)

4. (15 mins)

- Split the class into pairs. Give each pair three identical pattern blocks
(there are six different shapes to choose from square blocks will
generate the simplest net) and some 1cm square graph paper
(Handout2). You want to have two or three pairs working on the same
shaped blocks. Later in the lesson they will be asked to compare results
with the other pairs working on the same shape. When all pairs have
everything, check on the vocabulary of the materials:
Ok. Each pair should have..
- Ask a couple of pairs to repeat this lexis, with reference to the
particular shapes they have, of course.
- Explain that the pattern blocks represent the chocolates and that you
want them to draw a net on the graph paper which could be used (with
sticky tape) to make a box for the sweets. Hold up some pairs blocks:
- The three blocks are the chocolates ok? Can you make a box for the
chocolates by drawing a net on the graph paper? Remember the word
net?
- Tell them that the box will be (rectangle/rectangular).

- Tell them that they will estimate approximately how many of the one
cm squares and parts of squares will be covered by their net. Tell them
not to worry about being too precise. Elicit the word estimate (verb).
Make an estimate (noun).

- Before they start, ask how many faces each shapes box will have.
(Answer the square, parallelogram and trapezium shapes will have six,
the triangle will have five and the hexagon will have eight).
What shape do you have? How many faces will it have?-
- Show trapezium pictures on beamer (Handout3). Show them quickly
(so as not to help the trapezium people too much!) how a net has been
constructed by drawing around each side and face of the solid shape.
Dont forget to show the fact that there are three stacks to each block.
How many faces does this stacked block have? So how many sections
will there be to the net? (Answer 6)
- Point to the six sections then turn off the picture.

- Ask them to start working. Remind them to determine the dimensions
(to the nearest cm) of the smallest piece of rectangular card which

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Listening and responding

to instructions.






Listening and repeating
key (shapes) lexis
Listening to instructions





Listening

Listening to instructions

Producing short answer

Whole class







Pairs to
whole class
Whole class




Whole class

Whole class

Individual

Handout (2)







Repetition

Demonstration








Key word elicitation

Listening and then

producing short answer
(numerical)

Observing and listening



Observation and
producing short answer
(numerical)

Listening to and reading
instructions

Individual



Whole class



Individual



Whole class

Limiting to easy
choices


Visual on screen
(Handout 3)


Visual



Board

5. ( 20 mins)

could be used to make their box. Ask a student to write the phrase
below on the board As the students begin to work, make sure they see
this on the board.
- Estimate the total surface area by adding up the total area covered by
the net

Estimate approximately how many of the one cm squares and parts of
squares are covered by your net. Dont worry about being too precise,
this is just an estimate

- Teacher walks around, offering help where necessary.

- Pair together those who have the same shaped pattern blocks. Have
they obtained the same results? Have they drawn the same shapes?
How many cm2 does your net cover? Is it the same as the other pair?
Two minutes - compare and Ill ask you

- Ask one pair:
If you were the factory owner which net (of the two) would you choose
to make the boxes? The smallest or the largest?
- Why? (The smallest piece of card will obviously reduce costs).

- Ask a spokesperson from each group to feedback their results to the
class.
- Assign a student to write the names of the shapes up on the board, in a
vertical line.
- Ask for one person from each pair to tell the student at board the cm2
results.
Which shape requires the most card?
The least?
(The hexagon is the largest shape and the box will have more faces
hence this will be the biggest box. The triangle is the smallest and has
the least faces so this will be the smallest).

- To finish, ask the pairs to fill in their report and feedback worksheet
(Handout 4)
-
Ask one of the pairs to read out their answers.

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Listening



Producing short
response

Producing more open
response
Speaking from written
data


Reading data from
board. Producing short
answers





Reading, and writing
short responses

Key instruction fixed
on board

Pairs



Individual


Individual













Pairs

Limiting to binary
choice

If in difficulty,
teacher could
suggest a simple
frame


Board.


Limited binary
possibilities




Handout 4
Written frames, gaps,


semi-frames,
multiple-choice,
missing words

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